


A Place To Come Home To

by AlekWalker



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Heartbreaking, Lots of Angst, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-19
Updated: 2016-07-19
Packaged: 2018-07-25 09:30:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7527460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlekWalker/pseuds/AlekWalker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While grieving for the loss of the last of her family Wanda learns things aren't quite as bleak for her as she thought. Finding a place to call home and people to call family amidst her grief is a new dawn on a new life.</p><p>Just a couple of scenes from Wanda's PoV after Age of Ultron.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Of grief and loss

**Author's Note:**

> This got rather angsty and heartbreaking on me. If you feel I have missed anything in my tags in regards to warnings please let me know in the comments and I will rectify it ASAP. Apologies in advance for all the feels.

Wanda was prepared to die, had steeled herself in preparation to join her brother after ripping out Ultron’s cold, unyielding metal heart. She had nothing left to live for; the last of her family killed by the metal monstrosity whose existence she had a hand in creating.

Dropping the cold, weeping heart to the ground Wanda closed her eyes and tilted her head skyward, waiting for Sokovia’s demise and thusly her own. When strong arms lifted her from the ground, Wanda’s eyes flew open and flicked up to Vision as he flew up.

Shoving at his shoulder Wanda shook her head frantically, she **_didn’t_** want to be saved, she wanted to rejoin her brother. Giving up her struggles after several long minutes Wanda slumped in Vision’s arms and curled in on herself to silently weep.

She lost track of how long they were flying; in fact she only came back to her senses when she was laid down upon cool, slightly coarse metal. Turning her head away from her so-called savior Wanda was met by familiar silver hair. Hastily pushing herself up Wanda crawled, heedless of the coarse metal cutting into the flesh of her knees through the stockings she wore with her boots.

Situating herself by Pietro’s side, Wanda sat back on her heels, her fingers brushing Pietro’s hair out of his eyes as she got her first look at the injuries that had torn her brother from her so violently. Collapsing forward over Pietro’s body Wanda rested her head on her brother’s stomach in an attempt to muffle the anguished sobs she could no longer hold back.

Wanda was pulled back from succumbing to her grief by the brush of fingers through her slightly tangled hair, her head only lifted slightly from her brother’s bloody shirt at the sudden thud and pained groan. Her blurry eyes locked with pained blue-grey ones as Clint tried and failed to push himself up off the metal decking, his second attempt fared slightly better than his first as he got his knees beneath him before grunting and doubling over Pietro’s chest.

Turning her head to rest her cheek on Pietro’s stomach Wanda found herself face to face with Clint, her mouth twisted into a frown as Clint’s thoughts screamed in her head of grief and regret, thoughts of self sacrifice and doubt. Lifting her hand over the top of Clint’s head she settled it to his cheek, seeing the way he flinched at her touch Wanda let her hand drop to rest on Pietro’s chest between their heads, her voice heavily accented in her grief as she murmured “Do not do that to yourself, Hawkeye. Pietro made his choice, do not undermine his sacrifice by thoughts of what ifs or should have beens.”

“Can’t help it, your brother had his whole life ahead of him, instead he pulled a reckless, stupid stunt to save my life. **_I_** was going to sacrifice myself to save the child; your brother didn’t need to risk himself,” Clint groaned. Curling his arm tightly around his side he realised belatedly that Wanda was in his head and growled “You know it’s not polite to go poking around in other people’s heads uninvited, and I’m speaking from first-hand experience here.”

“I am sorry, it was not intentional. Sometimes I can’t control what I pick up from people’s thoughts, some things come through loudly and right now your thoughts about Pietro are screaming,” the confused look on Clint’s face had Wanda pondering the best way to clarify what she meant, it took a minute or so of consideration before she finally continued quietly “Picture walking into a room and in that room Thor is in the middle of a private conversation and speaking loudly, you honestly can’t help but overhear parts of it. Right now that’s what I’m getting from **_everybody_** ; I can filter the majority of everyone’s thoughts out except **_yours_**.”

“And for the record . . . you still have a whole life ahead of you. You have a wife, two kids and another on the way.” Wanda stated simply, a sad smile curving her lips. “Pietro and I . . . we saw you looking at the picture of your family before disembarking the quinjet. We grew up without our parents, Pietro wouldn’t wish our childhood on any child.”

“How’d you know about the one on the way then?” Clint grunted as he tried to push himself up into a seated position.

“It flashed through your head . . . with a burst of excitement and a tinge of grief that you could have missed his arrival,” Wanda explained quietly, her eyes closing briefly as she fought to throw up her barriers.

 


	2. A New Dawn

Wanda had spent the past week secluded in the guest room she’d been given within Avengers Tower. Her solitude was occasionally interrupted by one or another of the team coming to check on her; the only exception had been Natasha who had merely nodded at her during meals. Truth be told the constant intrusions had started to get on her nerves, the only exception had been Pepper who’d come by offering her condolences and then had offered to help Wanda arrange Pietro’s funeral.

She honestly had no idea where she’d be right now if the older woman hadn’t offered to help her. As the priest spoke Wanda stared blankly at the coffin resting over the open grave, thinking bleakly that the last of her family lay within the satin lined, wood casket. The raw, gaping wound in her soul tore at her, her beloved brother Pietro; her platonic soulmate was forever lost to her.

Now she was forced to watch as his motionless body was lowered six feet under the ground he used to love running over. For the first time in her life; Wanda was faced by the sudden fear that she was now alone in the world. Pietro had **_always_** been there for her, from the time they were conceived right up until Ultron had ripped him away from her.

As the funeral wound down, Wanda was vaguely aware of the other Avengers and their significant others giving her space. For which she was grateful, but the sudden wave of loneliness that struck her made her feel as though she was drowning. Her grief welled back to the surface, making her throat close over; dropping heavily to her knees by the open grave with a choked sob she let the tears she’d been holding back out.

She wasn’t sure how long she’d spent lost in her own grief, nor what exactly had pulled her back into the real world from the depths of her own mind. At least not until she realised that there were two extra sets of arms clinging to her . . . small arms at that.

Lifting her head and turning it slightly her teary eyes fell upon the concerned familiar features of a small girl; granted she’d never before met the child but she recognised her from the photo Clint had been looking at prior to the battle for Sokovia. This was the archer’s daughter, which meant that the boy on her other side was obviously his son.

“Lila, Cooper. Leave her be,” Laura chastised as she approached. “My apologies, Miss Maximoff.”

“No, no. It’s quite alright,” Wanda drawled, her accent thick as she sniffled. Her arms curled of their own accord around the children on either side of her. She looked up to Laura with a small smile as she murmured “They had good intentions. I am grateful they pulled me back and please Mrs Barton, it’s just Wanda.”

“They are too much like their father . . . on occasion. Charge in first, think second.” Laura chuckled as one hand rubbed at her swollen stomach, the other coming to rest atop her daughter's head. “Well in that case, Wanda, please call me Laura. I am so sorry for your loss. Clint told me that your brother saved his life, I wish things had worked out differently.”

“Pietro was the same . . . he always thought himself fast enough to outrun any situation,” Wanda replied sadly. Her eyes flicked back to the grave in front of her momentarily, her eyes tinging red as she looked back to Laura and stated “I will miss him, but at the same time I’m glad he died doing something heroic. You and your children, you all still need Clint despite what he seems to think.”

“Clint is now and forever my reckless idiot,” Laura admitted with a wry grin and roll of her eyes. “I am forever grateful that Natasha is there to **_mostly_** keep him from getting himself killed.”

Wanda hummed, her head cocking slightly as she glanced from Laura’s stomach back over her shoulder to where Clint was currently talking to Natasha before commenting vaguely “I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that for much longer.”

“Don’t let him catch you in his head,”Laura whispered conspiratorially, her head turning to follow Wanda’s gaze as she smiled sadly “He is very touchy about his privacy . . . ever since Loki and New York.”

“He knows that sometimes I can’t avoid it.” Wanda admitted with a sigh. “He is a good father and is adamant that he is going to be around more for little Nathaniel. I would like to think that our . . . **_my_** father would have been like Clint.”

“Oh honey,” Laura murmured gently at the sad, longing tone Wanda’s voice held. Her hand moved from Lila’s head to Wanda’s and stroked through her long dark hair gently, a comforting maternal touch. “I know Clint all but claimed you the moment your brother died to save him.”

“Wanda, it’s time to go.” Steve called, piercing the sudden silence as Wanda stared up at Laura dumbfounded by the older woman’s proclamation.

“Time to go . . . go where?” Wanda queried, brow furrowing in confusion as her eyes drifted across to the super soldier.

“The Tower, at least until the new facility is ready.”

“No!” Clint’s voice echoed suddenly across the space from where he still stood with Natasha, though the pair now appeared to be moving towards the small group.

“No?” Steve blinked, puzzled at the archer’s response. “And where exactly do you propose she live if not with the rest of the team, Clint?”

“That will be her call . . . **_later_** , but for right now she’s going home. She needs time to grieve and heal, Steve, you know what’s it like to lose what’s left of your family.”

“Her home is gone, Clint, it’s why we are offering her a new one with the Avengers,” Steve retorted with a curious glance to the family grouped around Wanda.

Flinching at the reminder Wanda turned her gaze back to her brother’s resting place: both men were right with their assessments. She needed time to right herself, find her place in the world without her brother but at the same time she had nowhere to do that.

“Our home **_is_** her home.” Laura said succinctly as her fingers smoothed through Wanda’s hair, a warm, welcoming smile curving her lips and reaching her eyes as she glanced down to the younger woman.

 


End file.
